FAISALABAD: A government primary school in Pathanwala was inundated with sewage water Monday, blocking children’s access to classrooms while two banners of Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz Sharif installed at the gate floated half-submerged, residents and video evidence show.
Government Primary School 220 R.B II, located on Alpha Road, Pathanwala, is “completely waterlogged” with “murky floodwater” covering the entrance, yard, and internal premises, according to an on-ground video posted April 27 by local outlet Apna Satiana. The footage shows a man standing in sewage at the school gate while condemning local officials for negligence.
شدید صاف ستھرا پنجاب
اور اس پر بھی ماں کی تصاویر۔۔۔۔ 🤦♀️ pic.twitter.com/L7rsakKBr3— MaryaHaq (@MaryaHaq) April 27, 2026
Residents of Pathanwala, Naeemabad Road, Bhata Stop and Alpha Road said the entire street is submerged in “dirty and filthy” sewer water, making it “not possible” for children to cross over to school or for people to enter the nearby mosque. The school has two banners with pictures of CM Maryam Nawaz Sharif under the “Suthra Punjab” campaign. Both were seen inside the sewage, residents said.
Locals accused WASA Faisalabad staff of chronic absence. “WASA employees go on leave Saturday, and even do not return on Monday,” one resident alleged, claiming drains remain choked for days.
The incident comes 14 months after CM Maryam Nawaz approved a “new sewage and drainage system for the major cities of the province” under the Punjab Development Program. The plan covers 189 cities with populations over 100,000 and promises sewage bypasses, disposal stations, and separate clean water pipelines. “15 crore people of the province will benefit from the Suthra Punjab program,” Maryam said at the Feb 2025 launch.
Faisalabad’s sewerage issues have been repeatedly flagged by officials. In Oct 2024, the divisional administration noted “distinct challenges Faisalabad faces” and urged WASA, FDA, PHA and Municipal Corporation to “intensify efforts”. The administration sought Rs 11.5 billion for a sewerage overhaul after the CM’s visit.
WASA Faisalabad was “established to cater to the needs of only 500,000 people” but the city’s population now exceeds 4 million, according to past official briefings. Residents city-wide have complained of “choked sewerage and alleged negligence of WASA officials”.
As of Monday evening, WASA Faisalabad and the District Administration had not issued a public statement on the Pathanwala school flooding.
